20 Feb HU J-Term: Seven Cities in China

A team of three staff members and 11 Huntington University students traveled to China during the 2007 January Term for a 23-day experiential learning trip. Dr. Luke Fetters, associate professor of ministry and missions, and Campus Pastor Bill Fisher took the students to seven Chinese cities to learn about Christianity in China.

The team traveled to Hong Kong, Macau, Zhouhai, Guangzhou, Fuzhou, Nanjing, and Beijing, covering an estimated 2000 miles.

Fetters wanted students to understand the complexity of the Christian experience in modern day China. “The general stereotype among Americans of the church in China is secret meetings, smuggling of Bibles, fear, and police,” said Fetters. “But in reality there is a government-regulated legal church with 20 million members. There is also a government-recognized printing company that has printed 15 million Bibles.”

Students grasped the difference of the Chinese government from the U.S. government. Kim Hart, a sophomore family and children’s ministry and missions major from Monroe, Ind., said she learned how different the Chinese government is from what they group had perceived it to be.

“It seems like we always picture Christians having to hide their faith in China because they’ll be put in jail if they don’t. It’s a lot different than that, though. The Three Self church does provide a place for Christians to worship, but the Communist officials control everything that goes on in the church. The theology of the Three Self church is wrong, so there is a need for house churches and underground seminaries. So really, the situation in China is confusing. I’m still confused when I think about it. The whole trip, I was reminded that the Christians in China are my brothers and sisters in Christ, and I need to pray for them every day.”

Dan Fleming, a sophomore broadcasting major from Auburn, Ind., added, “I always thought of China with lots of soldiers, not a lot of freedom, but it’s the exact opposite. I had all my freedoms that I have here except not being able to talk about my faith.”

Both Hart and Fleming agreed that it’s hard to pick a favorite part of the trip, but their time spent in Macau teaching English in the primary schools and at the church stuck out.

“It helped me see that teaching English can be a great way to build relationships with the local people and eventually be able to share the message of Christ with them. It also helped me learn more about the people and their culture,” said Hart.

In Macau, the students worked with the three United Brethren churches there and the staff of the English Language Program, all of whom are Huntington University alumni. “It was really fun working alongside them in Macau. It showed me where I could end up someday,” said Fleming.

Said Fetters, “My hope was that students would see the vast above-ground church and be able to worship with them as they would with people from here–and to learn about the people of Christ that lived through the communist and cultural revolution, how they suffered tremendous persecution, and to learn from their faith.”